Nigeria: cement standards may need revision

Nigeria's government is expected to revisit the review of cement standards to address restrictions placed on the use of certain classes of the commodity. Nigeria has witnessed at rise in building collapses around the country in recent months.

The local Guardian newspaper learnt that stakeholders are awaiting the composition of the board of the governing council of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) by the government to drive the review agenda.

The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment had in 2014 unveiled the Commodity Composition and Conformity Criteria for Common Cements and Specification of Mandatory Industrial Standard NIS 444-1, prescribing requirements for packaging and labeling cement bags, as well as the use of certain classes of cement grades.

Specifically, the decision by the government had led to the institution of different suits against the SON by three cement manufacturing companies – Lafarge Cement WAPCO, Ashaka Cement and Unicem – on the planned implementation of the new Mandatory Industrial Standard Order for cement manufacturing, distribution and usage in the country.

Through the suits, the cement manufacturers are seeking the court to establish whether or not the respondents (SON) complied with the mandatory provisions of the law for establishing new industrial standard in the introduction of the Commodity Composition and NIS 444-1 2014.